Happily Ever After
by Noah Demolski
Summary: One of the players from the Angel Investigations has to come to a decision after living through something that is not yet forseeable...
1. Hidden

"What is the now? Is there ever a now? For every now there is, another now has passed. I guess we never really know and maybe we're not supposed to know. For many reasons we are kept in the dark, not really shown the big picture, or given more than a glimpse. I used to believe, but, my hopes and dreams faded a long time ago... it was only a moment that changed it, a moment of impurity, of disgust, of incomprehensible words.

My mother always told me things would work out, everything would be okay, and we would go on and live the life we were born to have. Pretty crazy if you ask me because, if this is the life I was supposed to lead, then I wanna cash it in for something better. She sung songs to me, read poems by my side as my mind slowly drifted into dreamland. It was then I would see the light. It was beautiful. For the times I was asleep, everything was all right, and I would feel complete. Then I would wake in harsh reality but for a moment that pure existence would still be there... just a moment.

I guess that's what's kept me going, that longing to feel it for more than just a moment. Sure, things start off well and you're just a kid playing with the other kids and they play back and it's a whole bunch of Brady-like-fun... but as time goes on you learn things, see things, feel them... and once that comes inside you, it never lets go. Haunted by visions of your own memories, the things you've seen, the things you've done. And you try so hard to believe that there is a greater plan, that nothing that bad can last for ever... but the belief slips and all that is left is the feeling of being forsaken.

You see, truth is, we're all alone, and the only ones we can truly rely on is ourselves. I made the mistake of relying on the people around me - and I paid the price. No, I didn't die, it's much worse than that... I saw the people I care about, the ones I counted as family die a gruesome and chilling death."

  


The sun sets from outside the window and Winifred Burkle appears in front of it. She is aged, a lot, but she still looks like Fred. The wrinkles and loss of happiness disguise her well though. She turns to see her companion, an elderly man called Arthur. She shakes her head, a tear now falling down her cheek. "I've cried so hard these last decades. I've cried so hard it hurts to cry anymore, but I still do, maybe out of respect for them. This is my punishment... for forgetting for just a moment that he was gone," she stopped, taking a seat in the wooden rocking chair, slowly taking a hand to her tear and ending its trail. "Charles died for me when a demon attacked. He took the wound and it killed him. It took me years to get over that and in that time I never once stopped thinking about him... but then I kissed the other man and just for a moment I forgot. For one second I didn't think about him and this is my punishment. Because of that I saw Lorne, Connor, Wesley, Cordelia, and Angel be slaughtered... and when it was over I was stained with their blood. Blood of my loved ones..."

  


She trails off, more tears taking their spotlight on her wrinkled skin. She tucks a strand of greyish hair behind her ear and leans forward to Arthur. "What is the now? There is no now, there is only then... and that's where I have to go," she stands, her frail shadow creeping over him. She pulls out a well hidden knife and plunges it into his chest. The blood spills as he gasps for life. She shakes her head in pity, pulling her hand up to stroke his hair. "Don't worry, my dear. When I change it all, this won't of happened... and I can live happily ever after."

  


  


  


  


  


  


  


[ Want to see more? Just tell me and the next chapter will be installed ]


	2. The Three

The knowledge, the soul, and the power... that's what Fred needed to change everything. She was now standing before an opening rift and she awaited the beings that could turn back time and let her stop what was to come. Of course, they had needed a sacrifice to be reached... and that sacrifice was Arthur. Fred had never killed before – she had come close – but she had never killed, not until now anyway. However, she knew that if she succeeded in changing the past then she would never really of killed him, and if she failed, then there was no reason for living anymore anyway. With a moments hesitation, she finally found the courage to read the words from the book she had in her delicate and shaky hands. "I call upon the Three to come forth and hear my plea. I offer as a gift, an innocent's blood through the rift. In search of the Soul, the Power, and the Knowledge... my task is easy, this I pledge."

  


A glowing light emerged from the rift and then they appeared, three glowing spheres hovered just above her, like light bulbs. She covered her eyes, the light being so intense, and tried to talk amongst their whispers. "I have summoned you to change the past..."

  


_"... a mere mortal summons us..." one of the voices shrieked._

  


_"... it is blinded by it's emotions and for it's own benefit it calls upon us..." another snapped back._

  


"No!" Fred shouted back, a little more than angry. She wanted so much for them to obey her command, for them to stop what had happened. "Charles... I mean, Angel... he was a champion for the Powers That Be, they needed him to carry on and because of me, he was killed."

  


_"... you forget we are not the Powers That Be, if we were, we would not a require an innocent's blood to be summoned..."_

  


_"... it does not understand..."_

  


_"... it is clouded with emotions... it has blood on its hands..."_

  


"No!" she exclaimed again and swiped at a fatal tear falling from her eye. She turned to the Orbs, who were now huddled together. "Give me this chance – I'll do anything for it."

  


_"... it will do anything..."_

  


_"... it does not comprehend its own weakness..."_

  


_"... it has spoken. We will grant the wish..."_

  


_"... but to balance the cosmic balance there will be a price to pay..."_

  


"What price?" Fred asked, a little unsure if she should even wonder. She lifted her hand to brush back a loose thread of hair and then fixed her eyes on the Orbs as they buzzed around her head.

  


_"... all is not clear..."_

  


_"... we must return to our realm of existence..."_

  


_"... all will be revealed when the deed is done..."_

  


"You'll change it?" she almost jumped in the air. She would have everything she's ever wanted. Angel, Cordelia, Connor, Lorne, Wesley, and Charles... back together again, back in the day. She thought these kind of things only happened in fairy-tales but maybe she would finally start to believe again.

  


_"... we will return you to the moment your heart desires..."_

  


_"... and you will change at will..."_

  


_"... when all is complete the Three will summon you..."_

  


Fred nodded, not caring what she had to do. She just wanted it all, she wanted her life to be like that of a princess in a fairy-tale... she would have her prince and they would have a happy ending. In a flash of light Fred disappeared from view but the Three still remained.

  


_"... it thinks it has suffered..."_

  


_"... it does not know suffering..."_

  


_"... but it will... it will..."_

  


  


  


  


  


  


  


[ Ready for chapter three?? Well, you're gonna have to tell me if you want it first! ]


	3. With Or Without You

Her eyes brightened at the sound of their voices. Fred was still the old lady as before, but she had traveled back in time thanks to the Three. She as standing on the last few steps of the staircase, listening to the gang in the lobby. Angel, Lorne, Connor, Cordelia, Wesley, Charles... and even her past self. She smiled, remembering how cute and innocent she used to be. Of course, that was the time when things started to get confusing. They had Angel back, his soul was back in place, but things were never to be the same. She had already kissed Wes, Cordelia was pregnant by Connor, and she and Charles were separated.

Suddenly Angel appeared on the stairs in front of her. He looked her up and down, looking a little more than confused. "Fred?"

She stumbled backwards, motioning for him to stay quiet. "It's me."

"Wow – there's two of you... and you're old" he looked back at the past Fred, or present Fred to him. He then turned back to her. "You're not from this time."

"Good guess," she quirked a smile, gesturing for him to follow her up the stairs. She reached the top and opened a door, walking in, him following her right behind. He closed the door and she took a deep breath. "I'm here because if I don't..."

"Don't what?" Angel could sense this was hard for her. Then he wondered what could be so hard to say, or what could be so bad that she had traveled back in time to change? He watched her as she moved to the bed and studied it. "What is it, Fred?"

"I don't think it would be right to tell you... I don't think I could, even if I wanted to" she lowered her head, thinking back to the horrible images she had.

Angel edged forward. "You'd better start explaining before I throw you out."

She smiled. He may have been a little aggressive at the moment but that was all apart of the charm. She loved that. Losing a little bit of self control, she allowed a tear to roll down her cheek as she thought back to the days to come. "Charles will die. In this time, a couple of days to come, you, me, and Charles will track down a demon. It turns out the demon is a fire breathing one. I get in the way and the demon attacks me. But... Charles saves me and in return he loses his life... that's where it all goes wrong. You see, after that I tried to bring him back with the use of black magic but it didn't work... however, it infused some kind of power inside of me. Power that I didn't know was there..."

"You were a witch?" Angel asked, trying to understand the entire thing.

"No. I didn't know it was there... a few months down the line I kissed Wesley and in that moment I completely forgot about Charles. I forgot that I loved him, that he loved me, and that he had died protecting me. That's when the power emerged and manifested itself into the most savage beast. It killed you all. Strung you up with chains and beat every drop of blood out of you all... it kept Wesley alive for a long time, making him pay..." she stopped, turning away from the souled vampire. "Truth is, that beast was the killer in me. It played out the torture I had been bringing on myself emotionally... it's my fault you were all killed."

"No, Fred –" he reached out for her but she pushed him away.

"You don't know!" she exclaimed, another tear appearing. "You..." she stopped, suddenly realising that Angel wasn't moving. She stepped closer. "Angel?"

"Time has stopped," a voice said from behind her.

She shot her body round and saw a big hunk of armor plated demon. She looked him up and down, rolling her eyes. "Skip?"

"Long time no see, Winifred" he smiled. "How was England?"

"A disappointment. They didn't have what I wanted," she replied. She turned back to Angel, examining him for a moment, then back at Skip. "What are you doing here?"

"To stop you" he stated, moving towards Angel. "I told you last time you tries this that it was meant to be. If the Powers That Be had needed Angel and the detectives then they would never of died. Truth be told, they had finished their work in this dimension. They had the purest of souls and went on to better things."

"But the apocalypse... the one Wolfram and Hart had been planning –"

"You mean the one you and spark-girl stopped? Fred, honey, you stopped the apocalypse. The Powers had faith in you and you pulled through. That's why Angel, Cordelia, and the others didn't need to continue."

"But I needed them to continue!" she screamed at him, distressed. "I didn't want to be alone..."

Skip moved forward. "You're not alone, Fred. You can just –"

Suddenly a glow emerged from nothingness and the three spheres from before appeared through a rift in the dimensional walls. They hovered above Skip for a while, then moved to behind Fred, backing her up.

"The Three... Fred, you have risked your life by calling upon these... abominations" Skip explained to her.

"Well, at least they helped me. The Powers That Be could never do that," Fred's eyes glared at him, as if she was trying to kill him. Then, from out of the blue, the spheres shot lights into Fred, flowing their power through her. She looked to Skip, her eyes turning an eerie white. "You are just a guide. You are nothing. You are **nothing**!" And with that the power blasted him, destroying his very existence.

"I know I don't know" Angel said from behind her, still carrying on the conversation that were having before time stopped.

Fred turned to him with a slightly powerful smile. "I will change the past... with or without you..."

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


[ ready for chapter four? Hm, I'm not sure if you are... ]


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